Journal
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
Volume 156, Issue -, Pages 41-46Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2017.12.011
Keywords
Martian rings; Large detection area sensor; Interplanetary dust; Martian Moons Exploration
Categories
Funding
- JSPS Invitation Fellowship for Research in Japan [S16740]
- JAXA/ISAS MMX project
- ISAS/JAXA
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [15K05273] Funding Source: KAKEN
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In order to determine whether Martian dust belts (ring or torus) actually exist and, if so, to determine the characteristics of the dust, we propose a Circum-Martian Dust Monitor (CMDM) to be deployed on the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) project, in which JAXA plans to launch the spacecraft in 2024, investigate Phobos and Deimos, and return samples back to Earth. The CMDM is a newly developed instrument that is an impact dust detector. It weighs only 650 g and has a sensor aperture area of similar to-1 m(2), according to the conceptual design study. Detectable velocities (v) range from 0.5 km/s to more than 70 km/s, which will cover all possible dust particles: circumrnartian (low v), interplanetary (mid v), and interstellar (high v) particles. The measurable mass ranges from 1.3 x 10(-9) g to 7.8 x 10(-7) g at nu = 0.5 km/s. Since the MMX spacecraft will take a quasi-circular, prograde orbit around Mars, the CMDM will be able to investigate particles from Phobos and Deimos with relative velocities lower than 1 km/s. Therefore, the CMDM will be able to determine whether or not a confined dust ring exists along Phobos' orbit and whether an extended dust torus exists along Deimos' orbit. It may also be able to clarify whether or not any such ring or torus are self-sustained.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available